The decline in migratory species is driven by human activity — excessive hunting, habitat destruction, climate change and the expansion of towns and cities
Each year, billions of animals journey with the seasons over oceans, on land and in the skies, for survival. Migration is a vital part of the overall sustainability of our planet.
But it has been found that many migratory species are at the risk of disappearing, threatened by human pollution, the spread of invasive species and the climate crisis.
More than 40 years ago, many countries signed an agreement to protect the world’s migrating species, known as the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS).
Now, a first-ever global assessment of migratory animals that are under protection from the treaty has found that 22 per cent of the 1,189 CMS-listed species are threatened with extinction and nearly half, 44 per cent, are showing population declines.
Many are under unsustainable pressure from habitat loss and over-exploitation. For some species, the situation is much worse — 97 per cent of fish listed under the convention are at risk.
The report’s overwhelming conclusion is that the decline is driven by human activity — excessive hunting, habitat destruction, climate change and the expansion of towns and cities.
The report also sheds light on illegal wildlife trade, noting that anywhere between 11 and 36 million birds are illegally killed or taken annually in the Mediterranean region.
Some species have seen their populations climb thanks to conservation efforts. The South Atlantic population of humpback whales which numbered 450 individuals in the mid-1950s, is now estimated to be more than 25,000.
Emphasising the importance of conservation and the recovery of lost populations, here are some of the recommendations given by the report:
1) Establish key biodiversity areas on migration pathways
2) Reduce infrastructure that impact migration pathways, such as dams
3) Create corridors of protected land
4) Ensure restoration of at least 30 per cent of degraded land and marine areas
5) Map migration corridors, to protect animals from human activities.
The new report was further discussed at the 14th Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, to find out how to better protect the world’s migratory species.
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